Structural interrogation of a trimeric prefusion RSV fusion protein vaccine candidate by a camelid nanobody

In the past decade, camelid nanobodies have been developed for multiple applications, including immuno-imaging, cancer immunotherapy, and antiviral therapeutics. Despite the prevalence of these approaches, nanobodies have rarely been used to assess the potency of vaccine antigen candidates, which are primarily based on mAb binding approaches. In this work, we demonstrate that a nanobody-based ELISA method is suitable for characterization of a leading respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine candidate, RSVPreF3. This nanobody, F-VHH-L66, compares similarly with AM14, an antibody well-known to be specific for the prefusion form of the RSV surface fusion glycoprotein, RSV F. ELISA assays based on F-VHH-L66 were specific for the trimeric, prefusion form of RSV F, the antigen conformation that best generates neutralizing antibodies. Additionally, the F-VHH-L66-based ELISA proved accurate, linear, and stability-indicating. Statistical analysis of 65 independent F-VHH-L66-based ELISA experiments indicated assay performance similar to that of ELISA assays based on AM14. Moreover, the binding kinetics of FVHH-L66 to RSVPreF3 are comparable to those of AM14 when measured by surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Finally, F-VHH-L66 neutralized RSV(A) with similar efficacy as AM14; this bioactivity data further supports its use as an alternative to AM14 for pre-fusion specific structural characterization of RSVPreF3.(c) 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In the past decade, camelid nanobodies have been developed for various applications, but their potential in evaluating vaccine antigen candidates has been relatively unexplored. This study demonstrates the suitability of a nanobody-based ELISA method for characterizing a leading respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine candidate. The nanobody, F-VHH-L66, exhibits similar characteristics to the well-known antibody AM14 in recognizing the prefusion form of RSV F, which is crucial for generating neutralizing antibodies. The F-VHH-L66-based ELISA proves to be specific, accurate, linear, and stability-indicating, making it a potential alternative to AM14 for RSVPreF3 characterization.